1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image data, particularly image data that is provided as an image file, and particularly image data that generates an image and may contain moiré patterns, particularly color images that display moiré patterns in virtual or real images.
2. Background of the Art
Recorded images comprise a spatial, normally planar, representation of either spatially or temporally variable original signals. A large proportion of such recordings, such as copies of documents and pictures, represent a one-to-one relationship with an original document or scene, frequently with magnification or reduction involved. Radiographic film images in medicine represent a class of images where the original is not visible to the human eye and must be formed by a combination of invisible radiation (e.g., x-rays) and a suitable transducer (fluorescent screen).
In all image forming systems, degradation of the original information occurs which normally manifests itself in at least three forms: (1) blurring of edges (reduced resolution, lower sharpness); (2) random irregularities (noise, fog); and (3) image format artifacts (e.g., smudging, spreading, moiré patterns, blocking and trapping). In normal photographic images, it has long been known that edge sharpness can be enhanced and noise reduced by masking the original with a negative unsharp mask of suitable contrast (usually with lower contrast than that of the original). Early work by J. A. C. Yule is representative of this photographic masking approach (U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,407,211, 2,420,636, 2,455,849) and more complex approaches are represented by Blearson et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,615,433. An early attempt to use a raster scanning of the image while measuring the instantaneous light values photoelectrically and attenuating the beam according to a predetermined relationship with the light value is disclosed by Folse in U.S. Pat. No. 3,011,395. The rapid development of the Space Program lead to the emergence of high efficiency digital means of analyzing, reconstituting and enhancing images. Median filtering as a means of enhancing edge contrast has also been studied (e.g., B. R. Frieden JOSA 66. 280-283 (1976)). In the medical radiography field this stimulated the development of computerized tomography and the digital processing of radiographs in general (S. R. Amety et al, SPIE 207, 210-211 (1979), and C. R. Wilson et al, SPIE 314, 327-330 (1981)). In these approaches the image has been divided into a large number of “pixels” by scanning. A moving window consisting of n×m pixels centered on pixel i with image value Di is investigated by an on line computer as pixels i are scanned. The arithmetic average D of the pixels within the window is then used to modify the central pixel value Di to a filtered value D′i by the algorithm:D′i=aDi−bDThe parameters a and b are chosen to give specific image characteristics but are constant over the scan of a single image.
The concept of varying parameters similar to a and b throughout the scan of the image based on certain local properties of the image has been studied and these patents (H. Kato et al U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,315,318 and 4,317,179 and M. Ishida et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,409) have disclosed particular relationships between the parameters and the values of Di or D which can give further image enhancement. These techniques do not however distinguish between noise and image edges as far as enhancement is concerned, and the higher the density Di or D the greater the enhancement.
In other imaging technology areas, similar approaches have been made. Thus in E. Alparslau and F. Ince, IEEE Vol SMC-11, 376-384 (1981), images are treated with an edge enhancement algorithm based in part on an adaptive parameter based on the difference between the maximum and minimum pixel values in the window at any point. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,481 final image data for printing plate production is treated by electronic circuits according to algorithms that combine sharp and unsharp image data with pixel parameters. U.S. Pat. No. 4,334,244 treats video signal images electronically according to algorithms based on the fixed average and wherein values acting on the instantaneous gradient of the image signal, the degree of edge enhancement being partly controlled by the dynamic noise of the system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,571,635 describes a method of displaying or recording an image showing enhanced detail (particularly edge detail) relative to an original image or record comprising:
(a) making a point by point record of the original image by scanning it in a manner to select successive pixels in a logical array,
(b) storing the pixel values in such a way and for such a period that a window comprising a sub-array of adjacent pixels can be selected and analyzed statistically, said window comprising between 5 and 225 pixels,
(c) analyzing the pixel values of the window surrounding each pixel in turn to give the average value D and the standard deviation sigma,
(d) processing the central fixed value Dc to give an improved value D′c such thatDc′=kDc+(1−k)D
wherein k is a variable having a value between 0 and 0.99 which varies from pixel to pixel based on the value of sigma, said value of k being related monotonically to sigma in such a way as to have an upper and lower bound within the said range 0 to 0.99, and
(e) displaying or recording the enhanced image based on the derived values Dc′. In effect, the process averages optical density values, establishes a trend adjacent an edge, and then adjusts the density of individual pixels to continue the established trend.
Each of these references relates to image correction of edge defects through the use of software embodying algorithms that assist in the visual correction of the specifically identified region of defects, edges in the image. However, there arises a problem in reading an original image such as a photograph or a painting having thick portions and thin portions provided as a dot image by a half tone etching method. More specifically, because of the relation between the pitch between each of the dots and the reading pitch by the image pickup device, or of a subtle deviation of phase based on the period and the like in half tone processing, a periodical pattern of thick and thin portions called moiré pattern is generated, providing trouble in viewing.
Moiré patterns result from the interaction of the spatial frequencies of at least two spatially extended periodic patterns when they are superimposed. The visual effect varies widely depending on the relative angular orientation, translation and frequency distribution in two the patterns. In some cases moiré can lead to pleasing design effects but in most situations in graphic arts moiré is to be avoided. Examples of undesirable moiré patterns are those formed in computer monitors or by overlap of color separations in color printing. One area in which moiré is a particular problem is in digital imaging, where images are formed as regular grids of picture elements or pixels. Such grids are associated with particular spatial frequencies that can interact with other spatial frequencies of components present in devices that are part of the imaging chain. A commonly encountered situation involves the scanning of colored halftone printed media, such as those composed of regularly spaced dots of colored ink of varying size. Typically, the scanner contains a detector such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) array and the spacing of the array interacts with the spacing of ink dots to produce an undesirable moiré pattern in the scanned image.
The occurrence of such moiré patterns is well known in digital imaging. One commonly found form of moiré is of high spatial frequency in which the separation between elements of the moiré pattern is comparable to the size of the smallest details in the image. It is common to remove this type of moiré pattern with some form of smoothing or blurring. In this procedure a compromise is made between elimination of the moiré pattern and the loss of authentic fine detail in the image. There have been attempts to eliminate the moiré in the scanner itself by optical blurring, as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,159,469, 5,121,213, 4,987,496 European Patent 1,022,912 or Japanese Patent 8/149,358, or by adding noise or jitter to the scanning process, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,558 or Japanese Patent 51/45,757. Other attempts include matching the scanning frequency to spatial frequency elements in the material to be scanned as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,253,046, 4,965,599 or European Patent 960,523 or in Shu, J. S. -P., Springer, R. and Yeh, C. L., Optical Engineering, v.28(7), 805-12 (1989). There have also been efforts to combine multiple scans of the same subject in order to reduce moiré as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,929, Ohyama, N., Yamaguchi, M., Tsujiuchi, J., Honda, T. and Hiratsuka, S., Optics Communications, v.60(6), 364-8 (1986) or Yang, C. -Y. and Tsai, W. -H., Pattern Recognition Letters, v.18(3), 213-27 (1997). Actions performed mechanically or electrically within the scanner can also be accomplished by digital computation. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,915 teaches the enhancement of image noise in order to mask moiré patterns. Scanners have been designed including computational means for blurring noise. For example, Japanese Pat. Wei 10/276,331 discloses an averaging circuit, Japanese Pat. Wei 11/275,367 the use of a moving average and U.S. Pat. No. 5,821,915 the use of a weighted average filter, while Japanese Patent [2,000/023,085] teaches the use of a median filter for moiré suppression in a digital camera. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,390 teaches a descreening method using an iterative smoothing filter tuned to the frequency of the halftone screen, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,166,810 discloses the removal of halftone mesh patterns by a combination of a smoothing filter and edge emphasis, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,096 claims descreening by filtering in the Fourier (or spatial frequency) domain. In addition to such low-pass filtering methods, there have been attempts to blur the image using specially shaped or directional filters. Thus, Japanese Pat. 1972/95,961 describes a 2D filter with an axially symmetric impulse response, Japanese Wei Patent 10/003,539 discloses smoothing in the direction of minimum brightness variation, U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,312 teaches a spatial filter with positive coefficients in the main scan and cross-scan directions with negative coefficients in the diagonal directions, U.S. Pat. No. 5,649,031 claims a smoothing filter with maximum smoothing in a direction slanted with respect to the scan direction, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,846 discusses the use of modified median filter with a specially shaped (e.g., cross-shaped) filter window.
Another variant of moiré defect occurs as widely spaced color bands or blotches when colored halftone images are scanned. The spacing between these bands is very much larger than the scale of the finest authentic details in the image. Thus, approaches for removing moiré using blurring are completely unsuitable for removing this type of defect since blurring sufficient to reduce the bands will completely destroy small, and often medium scale, detail in the image. This moiré color banding is not unusual in scans produced by consumer scanners and there is a need for a method to eliminate it. No generally applicable and straightforward methods exist for achieving this objective. One method has been described by Kai Krause, originally in an electronic Compuserve Forum, and now available on the world wide web at http://www.pixelfoundry.com/Tips/ under the title “Tip 10: Litter Removal: Moiré Removal”. This article teaches a method of removal of fine moiré patterns using Gaussian blurring. Additionally, it discloses an approach for reducing color bands. This latter method relies on splitting the image into color channels such as red, green and blue and editing a look-up table that transforms each of these colors. The principle involves manually examining each of the bands for the range of color intensities present in a given channel and then manually editing a linear look-up table in such a way that this range of input intensities becomes equal to a single average intensity after color transformation using this table. This approach does not admit automation and requires that there must first be available a method of editing look-up tables, something not normally found in consumer software. In practice it is very difficult to accomplish the disclosed correction in a way that leaves the edges of bands looking natural and blended with the image. If the color bands are not contained in a single color channel, multiple channels must be edited in the way described. This is the situation in the common case of skin tones, which can be accompanied by yellow banding, and would therefore require at least the red and green channels to be edited. Another disadvantage of this method of band elimination is that, while the alteration may lead to reduction in banding, it also influences the same color channel in regions of the image where there is no banding. This introduces new defects. To cope with this problem, it is necessary to select separate regions of the image and correct these regions individually. A further disadvantage of this approach is that it reduces the total number of colors in the image. In summary, the success of the published procedure depends very much on the specific image content, requires great skill and familiarity with image processing concepts, must be accomplished by time-consuming region-by-region correction of the image, and cannot be automated. There remains, therefore, a need for a simple process for removing moiré-related color bands that can operate rapidly on a complete image. The current widespread availability of inexpensive consumer scanners exacerbates this need.
The line screen that determines the ink dot spacing in halftone printing varies with the print medium. It can, for example, be about 80 lines per inch for newspapers, about 133 or 150 lines per inch for magazines and books, and as high as about 200 lines per inch or more for high quality art reproduction, posing a wide variation in halftone spatial frequencies. At the same time scanners and their hardware components differ widely. In some examples of consumer scanners (as noted in X. Liu and R. Erich, Image Vis. Comput., v.18(10), 843-8 (2000)) non-uniform resampling of the image in the scanner introduces extra aliasing components and complicates the moiré pattern. It can be expected that combinations of different printed media with different scanner hardware will produce widely differing moiré patterns of the color band type. It is, therefore, surprising that the present invention can, in a simple way, reduce such moiré color bands in a broad variety of images from such sources.
A method has been proposed to prevent the generation of the moiré pattern, in which dimension or pattern of a dither matrix is changed in half tone processing. However, the moiré pattern cannot be eliminated by this method when the reading pitch (the pitch between pixels in the image pickup device) itself is the cause of the moiré pattern.
Under another method, the moiré pattern has been eliminated by arranging a filter for eliminating the moiré pattern in a light path in reading the original image and by gradation of the image by dispersing the image focused on one pixel of the image pickup device onto adjacent pixels. However, the moiré pattern cannot be eliminated in all of the images having thick portions and thin portions even by this method when a plurality of images with thick portions and thin portions having different dot pitches are included in the original image.
In image forming apparatus, such as copy machines, an image is read by an image-reading unit as a digital signal, and the digital signal is supplied to a recording unit so as to obtain a reproduced image on a hard copy. In such an image-reading unit, an original is read out by an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) image sensor by dividing the image into small areas, that is, pixels. An analog electric signal obtained by the image sensor is converted into a digital signal, and then various image-processing operations are applied to the digital signal so as to obtain optimum image data in accordance with the image characteristics thereof. In this type of image forming apparatus, an original is read out by a line sensor or the like having a small pixel size. Accordingly, when intensity change of the original image has periodicity such as in a half tone image, there is a possibility of formation of moiré in a recorded image due to interference of the periodicity of the intensity change of the original image with the pitch of the image sensor arranged in the line sensor, that is, the sampling period. This moiré can be eliminated by suppressing the periodicity of the intensity change through a plurality of pixels by averaging the intensity of the pixels. However, when intensities of a plurality of pixels are averaged to eliminate a moiré, the resultant character image or continuous-tone image may be undesirably blurred. Therefore, there is a problem in that when a mesh image and a character image or a continuous-tone image are mixed in one original image, the averaging process must be applied only to the mesh image area.
The reproduction of intermediate tone in such digital copying machines is generally achieved by a dither method or a density pattern method. However, such methods have been associated with the following drawbacks: (1) if the original image is a screen-tone image such as a printed image, the copied image may show stripe patterns which do not exist in the original image; and (2) if the original image contains line-tone images or characters, the image quality may be deteriorated as the edges are broken by the dither method. The phenomenon (1) is called moiré and is induced by:                (a) a frequency phenomenon between the screen-tone original image and the input sampling; or        (b) a frequency phenomenon between the screen-tone original image and the dither threshold matrix.The phenomenon (b) becomes particularly evident when the dither threshold values are arranged in a dot concentrated pattern. In such case the reproduced image has a pseudo-screentone structure, which generates a frequency phenomenon with the screentone structure of the input image, thus creating moiré patterns.        
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,267 describes a method for use in reducing moiré patterns during reproducing a halftone original having extent along first and second directions, the original being formed from halftone dots situated along a screen direction and having a spatial frequency fSCR and period PSCR in the screen direction comprising:                providing gray level values for an array of pixels extending over the original, the pixels having a first spatial frequency fSCR1 in said first direction and a corresponding first period PSCR1 in said first direction;        
developing a first gray level value for each pixel of the array whose gray level value equals or exceeds a threshold gray level value and developing a second gray level value for each pixel of the array whose gray level value is less than the threshold gray level value, said first and second gray level values defining a set of thresholded gray level values for said pixels;
determining from said set of thresholded gray level values adjacent pairs of pixels of the array in the first direction whose thresholded gray level values are different, each adjacent pair of pixels bordering a corresponding halftone dot;
determining from the gray level values of the pixels an edge error e1equal to d1/PSCR1 where d1is the approximate distance along the first direction between the center of the pixel the pair whose thresholded value is equal to said first gray level value and the closest edge of the corresponding halftone dot;
and processing said thresholded gray level values of said pixels of said array including: (a) using a processing window to define successive sub-arrays of said pixels and for each sub-array of pixels: (i) adding the edge errors e1 for the determined adjacent pairs of pixels included in the sub-array to form a sum S1; and (ii) for the pixels having thresholded second gray level values and being in the determined adjacent pairs of pixels, starting with the pixel of the adjacent pair of pixels having the highest edge error and continuing with further pixels of the adjacent pairs of pixels in the order of descending edge error, changing the thresholded gray level values of the pixels from said second to said first threshold gray level value until the thresholded gray level values of M pixels have been changed, where M is the closest integer to the sum S1.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,337 describes an image processing apparatus in which a moiré pattern occurring in a half tone area can be eliminated by a suitable filter. A plurality of data blocks comprising N*N pixel data are transformed by means of a two-dimensional orthogonal transform so as to obtain an N*N matrix transformation factor block. An evaluation block is prepared which comprises N*N transformation factors each of which is the mean value of the absolute values of corresponding factors from a data block being considered and data blocks surrounding the data block to be determined. Mean values A[i] and B[i] (i=0 to L−1) of predetermined transformation factors are calculated, A[i] being mean values of factors included in a number L of first areas consecutively positioned along a diagonal line of the evaluation block, B[i] being mean values of factors included in a number L of second areas positioned adjacent to and lower in frequency to the corresponding first areas, A filter selection signal is generated which corresponds to the number i when a condition is satisfied where A[i]>B[i] and A[i]>threshold value th1. The pixel data corresponding to the evaluation block is smoothed by the selected filter.
As noted above, moiré patterns can also be generated in monitors or other cathode ray tubes. Color cathode ray tubes (“CRTs”) are commonly used as visual display devices, employing up to three electrodes, typically one for each primary color: red, green, and blue. Most color CRTs use a shadow mask to selectively illuminate a matrix of each electrode's respective colored phosphors (i.e., red, green, and blue). CRTs normally will have a shadow mask placed behind a phosphor-coated screen. The shadow mask is usually a metal foil with numerous perforations which allow the electron beam sourced by a particular electrode to selectively strike its respective phosphor dot. The electron-beam is focused by magnetic lenses in the CRT neck into a small spot before the electron-beam reaches the shadow mask. The electron beam from the green cathode is partially occluded by the shadow mask such that the electron beam only strikes the corresponding green phosphor after passing through the shadow mask. The beam is typically larger than the shadow mask perforation size, so the shadow mask blocks part of the beam and casts a smaller shadow of the original beam onto the desired phosphor.
The dot pitch, or spacing, between adjacent shadow mask perforations, and their corresponding phosphor dots, must be as small as possible for the highest resolution. For mechanical and economic reasons, the dot pitch is generally limited to about 0.2 millimeters (“mm”) to 0.3 mm for a typical high resolution display CRT. As the electron beam traverses the screen, the shadow mask includes a periodic illumination pattern depending on whether the beam either impinges upon a perforation, and consequently the phosphor, or strikes the metal foil of the shadow mask separating the perforations. Because the sweep rate of the electron beam is known, an equivalent frequency for the resulting sinusoid can be calculated, and is referred to as the spatial frequency of the shadow mask, vspatial.
To increase the resolution of the display, the spot size of the incident electron beam must be made as small as possible. As the electron beam spot size is reduced and begins to approach the dimensions of the phosphor dot pitch, the amount of a particular phosphor that is actually struck by the beam is a function of how well the electron beam spot is aligned to the shadow mask aperture corresponding to the intended phosphor. Moreover, it must be noted that the electron beam spot shape is not constant as the beam traverses the CRT screen. In particular, the beam spot varies from a circular shape at small angles of deflection, e.g., near the center of the CRT screen, becoming more eccentric or ovaloid at higher angles of beam deflection, e.g., near the screen perimeter. If a video pattern of alternating on-off phosphors (“pixels”) is displayed, some of the pixels will be seen to be exactly aligned with the shadow mask and therefore will have uniform phosphor brightness across the dot, whereas other phosphors will exhibit a nonuniform brightness, a consequence of misalignment between electron beam and shadow mask aperture. The repeating pattern of varyingly bright pixels also is seen to be of sinusoidal form, with a frequency νspot equivalent to half the pixel clock frequency, where one pixel clock cycle turns on the spot, and the next pixel clock cycle turns off the pixel. As the spot size of the electron beam is reduced while viewing the on-off pattern, a periodic visual interference pattern known as moiré is produced in each video line scanned across the CRT. The frequency νMoiré of the moiré interference pattern is the difference between the spatial frequency of the shadow mask spatial, and the frequency of the electron beam spot vspot, orνMoire=νspatial·νspot.If the two frequencies νspatial and νspot were identical and in-phase, the moiré frequency νMoire would zero out. A moiré frequency of zero is the ideal case, where each phosphor has a corresponding shadow mask aperture through which the corresponding electron beam travels. From a particular standpoint, however, the spot size varies as a function of the electron beam deflection angle and focus voltage. Therefore, there may be a significant variation of electron beam spot size depending on the age of the CRT and position of the electron beam on the screen. Hence, the ideal case typically cannot practicably be realized. In fact, the closer the spatial frequency and the spot frequencies are to each other, the lower the moiré beat frequency νMoire and the more visible and objectionable the moiré interference pattern becomes. In addition, because the electron beam spot size varies across the face of the CRT, the individually scanned video lines will each produce a slightly different moiré interference, and therefore the moiré pattern itself varies as a function of electron beam position.
From an operating standpoint, the moiré interference phenomenon poses a serious aesthetic problem, since the best electron beam focus and highest image resolution results in unacceptably noticeable moiré patterns if the video signal being displayed includes alternating pixel patterns, which is a common occurrence. From the prior art teachings, the moiré interference problem has been addressed in three ways. First, the shadow mask and phosphor dot pitch can be reduced, which raises the effective spatial frequency of the CRT, thereby raising the moiré beat frequency so that it is less visible. The result is that in order to reduce the moiré effect, much lower resolution images must be displayed on a CRT that is inherently capable of significantly higher resolution. Second, the electron beam can be defocused so that the spot size of the electron beam is increased, thereby decreasing the amplitude of the phosphor illumination, which in turn reduces the amplitude of the phosphor spot frequency. The lower amplitude spot sinusoid results in a decrease of the amplitude, and therefore visibility, of the resulting moiré interference. Again, significant reduction in resolution and image quality are exchanged for only moderate reduction in moiré interference. A third option is to avoid displaying video signals with alternating pixel or phosphor illumination patterns, and to simply tolerate the resultant moiré interference patterns when they occur.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,188 describes how visible moiré interference is eliminated by alternately shifting the phase of the horizontal sync signal or video signals such that the phase of each video line, and hence the phase of the resulting moiré interference associated with that video line, is also alternately shifted. The phase of the moiré interferences are shifted such that persistence of vision in the human eye averages oppositely phased phosphor intensity variations occurring on alternating scan lines and/or vertical fields. When viewed by a user of the CRT, optical cancellation of the moiré interference patterns results.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,018 describes another method of addressing moiré patterns in a display monitor. A horizontal synchronization signal having a horizontal scanning frequency is received by a first circuit. A vertical synchronization signal having a vertical scanning frequency is received by a second circuit. A moiré correction signal that is proportional to a horizontal resolution of the displayed image is generated by dividing the horizontal scanning frequency by the vertical scanning frequency.
As can be seen, the main emphasis on the reduction of moiré patterns, both in printed and monitor images has been directed towards breaking up the relative frequencies between overlying or contiguous patterns. It is desirable to find alternative methods of reducing moiré in images, particularly within software solutions.
It is well know in statistics to approximate a distribution of data by fitting a function to the data using techniques such as linear regression. Such methods are described in “Applied Regression Analysis”, N. R. Draper and H. Smith, Wiley, 1981. The result of the regression fit is a mathematical function that approximates the original data but completely replaces it over its entire range. It computer imaging it is also well know to approximate 3-dimensional surfaces by, for instance, triangular patches or by splines. These techniques are mentioned in “Digital Image Processing”, Kenneth R. Castleman, Prentice-Hall, 1996. A characteristic of these methods is that again the entire surface is replaced by some form of approximate surface. U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,149 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,963 describe an procedure for noise reduction using an overlapping planar approximation, in which the image code values are treated as a surface over the plane of the image. The method operates by placing around each image pixel nested neighborhoods of several sizes. In each of these neighborhoods a plane is fitted to the image codes using linear regression. The regression fit is used to compute an estimate of the central pixel along with a chi squared goodness of fit criterion. The output value of the pixel is the sum of the estimates for all the neighborhoods weighted by the goodness of fit criterion. The method is stated to smooth the image in relatively smooth areas without smoothing it in edge regions. Panda, D. P, and Kak, A. C., IEEE Trans. Acoustics, Speech and Signal Proc., v25(6), 520-524 (1977) describe a related method for recursive least squares smoothing of noise in images. In the light of the existing literature it is surprising that a method as simple as the one of this invention is capable of beneficial results in smoothing noise and moiré patterns.